Summary:
Willow River Public School District is a small Minnesota district with just two schools serving 436 students in grades PK–12: Willow River Elementary (PK–6, 231 students) and Willow River Secondary (7–12, 205 students), both located at the same address in Willow River. The district ranks 221 of 458 statewide, in the 52nd percentile, and both schools earned 3 stars in 2025–2026.
Willow River Elementary is the stronger academic performer, beating state averages in all three tested subjects in 2025–2026: math 49.1% vs 44.9%, reading 49.1% vs 48.6%, and science 26.9% vs 25.5%. Its math result is especially strong next to the secondary school's, and grades 4 and 6 math along with grade 3 reading all top the state. The school's rank rose to 379 of 869 (56th percentile, 3 stars) from 49th percentile and 2 stars the year before. The main watch items are 4th-grade reading, at 31.8% against a state figure of 48.8%, and a science decline from 34.38% to 26.9%, though science remains slightly above state.
Willow River Secondary tells a very different story. Its completion outcomes are excellent—a 96.3% graduation rate against the state's 84.9% and a 0.0% dropout rate against 4.2%—and its rank climbed from the 46th percentile two years ago to the 68th percentile (150 of 473) now, even as proficiency slipped. Math is the pressing concern: all-grades math is 12.9% vs the state's 44.9%, with 7th grade at 10.8%, 8th at 10.3%, and 11th at 18.5%. Reading (40.8% vs 48.6%) and middle-grade science also lag, although End of Course Science (48.5% vs 35.0%) and 10th-grade reading (50.0% vs 42.5%) are bright spots. Overall, the district pairs an above-state elementary school with a secondary school that excels at getting students to graduation but struggles badly in math.
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